Bercow has attracted many critics during his three years in the role, and in recent months he has particularly upset Conservative colleagues by not forcing the Labour MP Chris Bryant to retract a claim that the culture secretary, Jeremy Hunt, was a "liar" – a term which usually attracts the highest degree of opprobrium in the otherwise boisterous chamber.

He also angered the Tory high command by demanding that the prime minister, David Cameron, appear in the house to answer Labour questions about Hunt's handling of a bid by Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation to take full control of the broadcaster BSkyB.

Bercow's wife, Sally, has also attracted attention for views considered leftwing, and for public appearances such as taking part in the reality TV show Big Brother.

"I never aspired to be Speaker simply so I can say: 'I'm the Speaker of the House of Commons'," said Bercow, who has been an MP since 1997.

"I wanted it because I felt that there was a task to be undertaken and that's about strengthening backbench involvement and opportunity in parliament, and helping parliament get off its knees and recognise that it isn't just there as a rubber-stamping operation for the government of the day, and as necessary and appropriate to contradict and expose the government of the day."

Examples of "progress" included increasing the number of questions answered by the PM during the half-hour weekly prime minister's question time and the "renaissance" of the urgent question, a device by which MPs can call ministers to the House of Commons to answer questions on an urgent topic – such as the Hunt affair.

"I was particularly concerned that ministers should be accountable first and foremost to parliament," he said.

Such events have annoyed some ministers - "and possibly their diary secretaries" - said Bercow, but he said it was important not to take sides. "Their upset, their irritation, their inconvenience cannot be the concern of the Speaker," he added.

Some people thought he was "genuine and down to earth" and others thought he was "puffed up with his own importance", said Bercow, suggesting such critics often felt a "lingering sense of resentment" over his election.

Bercow said that despite reports that Cameron was angered by his decision to call him to answer Labour's urgent question over Hunt, the PM had never said so to his face.

"Much as I have the highest respect for the prime minister … the prime minister's job is to captain his team, his party, his government; my job is to be the referee," added Bercow.

Bercow specifically defended his decision not to make Bryant retract his allegation that Hunt was a "liar", saying he anticipated such an event might occur, and he took advice from the most senior official of the Commons, the clerk of the house.

"He [the clerk] said to me because we were debating a substantive motion on the conduct of a minister [Hunt], the normal rules about parliamentary language frankly don't apply," he said.

"I don't regret ruling as I did because it was uncomfortable and unpopular but correct."